The online citizens’ portal of the Navi Mumbai Police has received a poor response, with just 60 e-complainants in a year. Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar has urged people to make use of the online facility to register complaints and apply for permissions.
“For people who cannot go to police stations, such as senior citizens, the e-complaint portal is the best facility. An e-complaint is not an FIR, but on the basis of the e-complainant, further action can be taken. Once a person makes an e-complainant, a police officer will look into it and reply if it should be registered as an FIR, NC or if it is a civil dispute. There is no time limit for responding to the e-complainant, but we try to do so within 15 days,” Mr. Kumar said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Tushar Doshi said that while the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) is an intranet project available only to the police, the e-complaint section is available to the common man. “The officer in charge of a police station is responsible for checking the intranet daily. So when an e-complaint is seen on the dashboard, an enquiry officer will be assigned to look into the matter. For every e-complaint made, the complainant will get a receipt, which will be a proof for him that the information was passed on to the police. Incidents of police not entertaining any particular application or complaint can be avoided with the usage of the online portal,” Mr. Doshi said.
The portal can also be used to apply for various permissions from the police. However, of the 831 Ganapati mandals who took police permission to set up pandals this year, only 16 sought the clearance online, Mr. Kumar said. He has now urged organisers of Navratri celebrations to apply for permission online.
“One can also check FIRs on the portal. FIRs that do not include women and children, or any sensitive issues, will be published on the portal for 90 days,” Mr. Kumar said.
The portal can be accessed at www.mhpolice.maharashtra.gov.in
